From our staff to your families, we wish all of you a happy holiday season. We hope you travel safely, eat well, and get lots of rest!
Semester two officially begins and classes resume on Tuesday, January 16th. See the calendar below!
Winter Break Front Office announcements:
All DVD offices will be closed for the break starting Monday, Dec. 25th until Friday, Jan. 5th. If you need to reach us, please reach out via email and we are happy to assist.
For records requests (including work permits): reach out to Office Manager Maria Beltran at mbeltran@davincischools.org .
For attendance and student information: reach out to Admin. Support Manager Vannessa Ramos at vramos@davincischools.org .
For all other questions or concerns, reach out to Principal Russell Stoll at rstoll@davincischools.org .
Report cards will be mailed to arrive the week of Dec. 25th. If you have questions about final grades, please reach out to teachers directly via email. Grade appeals must be initiated via email within 30 days of the end of the semester. For more information about final grades, see the DVD Student and Family Handbook.
The Da Vinci Schools reception will be open during the break on select days. Please call us at 310-725-5800 between 8am-2pm to speak to someone on campus.
Wishing all of you a safe, restful and fun holiday break!
Next week is the last week of the Fall semester! This means that we are only one week away from Winter Break! Next week, to get into the holiday spirit before break, we hope all of our staff and students will participate in a Holiday-themed spirit week! See the dress up days listed below!
Special 9th Grade Exhibition: Wednesday, December 20th 5:30pm-6:30pm
On Wednesday, December 20, 2023 from 5:30 – 6:30 our 9th grade students and teachers will be hosting a special Exhibition on-campus at 201 N. Douglas! Students will display and present their lamp projects, narratives, and artwork that they have been working hard on for their first semester POLs. The theme of this project is to develop and share a deeper understanding of the experience of people who are migrants and refugees. See the flyer below – and hope to see you there!
Report Cards Mailed Next Week and PowerSchool Access Locked: PowerSchool access is locked for end of semester report card preparation, and in order to prepare schedules for the Spring 2024 semester. If you have questions regarding Fall 2023 report cards or grades, reach out to your counselor via email. Once report cards are completed, if you have questions about a grade for a specific class or wish to contest a grade, please reach out directly via email to the teacher of that course.
Presentations of Learning (POLs) are here! POLs are performance based assessments which give students the opportunity to develop their speaking and presentation skills, and they give students space to reflect publicly on their learning. Because these are formal presentations, students are expected to wear formal attire. Any student in need of formal attire, please contact the front office and we will be happy to accommodate.
While our students are preparing and presenting the learning they’ve achieved over the semester, our teachers are hard at work viewing and scoring those presentations. For teachers, this also means long, 8 hour days being a part of panels.
One way that we show appreciation for our teachers during these long days is keeping them fed and caffeinated. And we would love your help!
If you would like to donate snacks, treats, and coffee to our teachers, please use the sign-up to tell us what you will be dropping off.
This week at DVD, we wrapped up with lots of holiday cheer and fun at our annual Holiday Community Dialogue event in the gym! We played a ton of great games like antler ring toss, a holiday themed edition of “junkyard”, and we even had a gingerbread house building competition… until the Grinch stopped, by but even he couldn’t ruin the holiday spirit. We also called up our December All-Stars. We will continue our holiday fun during Week 18 when we invite students and staff to participate in a holiday spirit week. See below for photos of our Holiday CD games and our holiday spirit week!
Presentations of Learning (POLs) are next week! POLs are performance based assessments which give students the opportunity to develop their speaking and presentation skills, and they give students space to reflect publicly on their learning. Because these are formal presentations, students are expected to wear formal attire. Any student in need of formal attire, please contact the front office and we will be happy to accommodate.
While our students are preparing and presenting the learning they’ve achieved over the semester, our teachers are hard at work viewing and scoring those presentations. For teachers, this also means long, 8 hour days being a part of panels.
One way that we show appreciation for our teachers during these long days is keeping them fed and caffeinated. And we would love your help!
If you would like to donate snacks, treats, and coffee to our teachers, please use the sign-up to tell us what you will be dropping off.
Here is the Bell Schedule for upcoming POL Weeks 17 & 18:
Early release of students at 1:45pm each day
*Special start on Friday, Friday Dec. 15th at 8:40am*
Special 9th Grade Exhibition: Wednesday, December 20th 5:30pm-6:30pm
On Wednesday, December 20, 2023 from 5:30 – 6:30 our 9th grade students and teachers will be hosting a special Exhibition on-campus at 201 N. Douglas! Students will display and present their lamp projects, narratives, and artwork that they have been working hard on for their first semester POLs. The theme of this project is to develop and share a deeper understanding of the experience of people who are migrants and refugees. See the flyer below – and hope to see you there!
Winter Music Student Showcase: Tuesday, Dec. 12th at 6:30pm *NOW AT THE WDV GYM*
Due to the excitement and enthusiasm from our theater show this past Tuesday (and the incredibly high turnout they generated!), we have a major last-minute change to the venue for our Music Winter Showcase. It will still be on Tue, 12/12 but will now take place in the WDV GYM at 201 N. Douglas St.Doors are at 6pm, and the show will start at 6:30pm. See you there!
Upcoming Events and Key Dates:
Thursday, Dec. 14th – Thursday, Dec. 21st: Presentations of Learning (POLs) – MINIMUM DAYS
It was great to be back on campus with students this week as we gear up for the end of the first semester. On Wednesday, our student Leadership team hosted a record-breaking blood drive with the UCLA Health Center. Thank you to all who donated!
Congratulations to all of our Seniors for getting their UC/CSU applications this week! We are expecting big things from the Class of 2024, and are so proud of them as they make their way through the college application process. AND – we could not do it without the amazing work of our counselors and our College and Career Readiness teacher. Thank you Ms. Pam, Ms. Nicole, Mr. Sanchez and Mr. Palafox!
Progressreports are being mailed home today, December 1st. The purpose of this is to give families the opportunity to have a snapshot of student progress, and to be able to have a conversation at home with students about how to stay successful in school. This information will also be used by teachers and counselors in their plans to support all students. Please follow up with your child’s teachers directly with any questions about assignments or grades.
If you do not receive a progress report in the mail by Friday, 10/6, please reach out by calling Da Vinci Design at 310-725-5800, or send an email Office Manager Maria Beltran at mbeltran@davincischools.org to request a digital progress report for your child.
Here is the Bell Schedule for Week 16 at DVD:
Presentations of Learning (POLs) are coming in just two weeks! POLs are performance based assessments which give students the opportunity to develop their speaking and presentation skills, and they give students space to reflect publicly on their learning. Because these are formal presentations, students are expected to wear formal attire. Any student in need of formal attire, please contact the front office and we will be happy to accommodate.
Here is the Bell Schedule for upcoming POL Weeks 17 & 18:
Upcoming Events and Key Dates:
Friday, December 1st: Progress Reports Mailed Home
Wed, Dec. 6th + Thurs Dec. 7th: Last Day of Seminars
Friday, Dec. 8th: Holiday Community Dialogue!
Thursday, Dec. 14th – Thursday, Dec. 21st: Presentations of Learning (POLs) – MINIMUM DAYS
Early release of students at 1:45pm each day
*Special start on Friday, Friday Dec. 15th at 8:40am*
What an exciting week! Exhibition, boat races, field trips, Alumni Day, CD, paint day – so much great stuff happening at Design this week. Truly feeling so grateful to be part of a learning community that does so much to bring the learning outside of the classroom.
Today, we held an all-day event at DVD: Community Paint Day! Community Paint Day at DVD is the culmination of a partnership with Arts Bridging the Gap and the DVD Diversity Council. The day was be centered around painting a 10’x10′ mural designed in collaboration with DVD’s Diversity Council students, and resident artists/muralists Noah and Georgia, who met over eight sessions do discuss themes of diversity and inclusion which would be the basis of the mural. The day started with a schoolwide community dialogue assembly in the gym hosted by the DVD Diversity Council. Then, students from all grade levels spent the rest of the day in the BlackBox theater space painting the mural under the guidance of our resident muralists. And, a representative from Hart House stopped by to provide gift cards to recognize students working on the mural. It was a great day full of celebration and community, and a great way to send our students off to the holiday break! See pictures below!
The first day of school after the break will be Monday, November 27th – here is the Week 15 bell schedule:
THANK YOU PARENTS AND FAMILIES!
We want extend a BIG THANK YOU to all of the DVD families who made contributions to our DVD staff gratitude baskets; thanks to all of you for donating time, treats, and messages of gratitude to our staff to help send them off on a much deserved break with a little something to let them know how appreciated they are. We love our DVD families! And, we wish all of you a restful, safe, and fun holiday break!
DV Schools Blood Drive on November 29th:
The UCLA Blood and Platelet Center will be coming onto our 201 N. Douglas campus on Wednesday, November 29th from 9am-2pm in the Black Box. Students will be called out of class to donate blood if they are registered and have proper consent forms. See the flyer below for more details, including a QR code where students can register.
Upcoming Events and Key Dates:
Nov. 20th – Nov. 24th: NO SCHOOL – Thanksgiving Holiday Break
Wednesday, November 29th: DV Schools + UCLA Health Blood Drive
Friday, December 1st: Progress Reports Mailed Home
Thursday, Dec. 14th – Thursday, Dec. 21st: Presentations of Learning (POLs) – MINIMUM DAYS
Early release of students at 1:45pm each day
*Special start on Friday, Friday Dec. 15th at 8:40am*
Thursday, Dec. 21st: Last Day of Semester One
Week 14 Highlight: Community Dialogue and Paint Day Hosted By Diversity Council
We hope our students are coming back from the long weekend feeling refreshed and ready for a great week! This week, we have lots of exciting events to look forward to:
Tuesday, November 14th is Fall Exhibition Night! Both 10th and 12th grade will be displaying work.
3pm-5pm at the El Segundo Aquatic Center, 10th Grade Boat Races
Sophomores have used skills and concepts from Math and Chemistry class (like surface area and buoyancy) to design full-scale boats out of reclaimed cardboard in their Fundamentals of Design 2 class. And, on the afternoon of Exhibition, they will be racing each other across the ESAC pool for our 2nd annual Boat Race! This event was so much fun and brought so much joy that we had to make it annual. We hope you can stop by to see who will be our champion. See the flyer below!
5:30pm-7:30pm at 201 N. Douglas: 12th Grade Mural & Art Gallery Project
The Mural project was a collaborative effort across Ethnic Studies, English, Government, College & Career Readiness, and Entrepreneurship. It portrays the resilience of an oppressed group, highlighting their joy and triumphs. In Ethnic Studies, students designed and painted their mural. In English, students created engaging websites, audio guides, and artist plaques. Government class delved into the connections between chosen topics and government operations. College & Career Readiness explored diverse art-related career paths, while Entrepreneurship focused on preparing the art for sale. In Statistics, students conducted a data project on art, music, and social media while Calculus students made art pieces that represent how math makes them feel. Graphic Design students crafted personal logos using Adobe Illustrator and students in Architecture collaborated on a real-world project with the Western Museum of Flight, designing a new museum concept for Torrance Airport. Their digital renderings are currently in progress and will be showcased.
Thursday, November 16th is Alumni Sibling and Cousins Day! We look forward to having returning students stop by our campus and to say “hello”.
Friday, November 17th we have both CD hosted by our Diversity Council, and we will be hosting a Community Paint Day in the BlackBox! Community Paint Day at DVD is the culmination of a partnership with Arts Bridging the Gapand the DVD Diversity Council. The day will be centered around painting a 10×10 mural designed in collaboration with DVD’s Diversity Council students and resident artists/muralists.
DVD STAFF GRATITUDE:
As we approach the season of Thanksgiving, we are all grateful for the tremendous work of our school staff – from our teachers to counselors to paraeducators to custodians to front office staff. To show our appreciation, we are organizing Thanksgiving baskets to deliver to our school staff on Thursday, November 16th. The idea is that each staff member will receive one basket containing treats and words of appreciation from students and parents/guardians.
Here is how you can contribute to the baskets of Thanksgiving:
Items: If you are interested and able to purchase something to show your appreciation, please consider non-perishable items such as: individually wrapped : pop corn, gummies, trail mix, chips, hot chocolate, pretzels, candy, cookies, gift cards ($5) to target, Starbucks, coffee, sparkling water, tea, and any other non-perishable snacks. We need donated items collected by: Tuesday November 14th. All items can be left on the first floor front office.
Words of Appreciation: There is nothing that means more to school staff than words of appreciation or encouragement. Please consider handwriting a note of thanks or typing one digitally here: DVD Staff Appreciation Notes We will be printing these digital messages and including all words of appreciation in the baskets. Handwritten notes can be dropped off by Tuesday November 14th.
Week 14 DVD Bell Schedule:
Upcoming Events and Key Dates:
Tuesday, Nov. 14th: DVD Exhibition Night! 3pm-7:30pm
10th Grade Boat Races: 3pm-5pm at the El Segundo Aquatic Center (AKA: the pool at 201 N. Douglas).
12th Grade Mural & Art Gallery Project: 5:30pm-7:30pm in the Senior Hub
Friday, Nov. 17th: Diversity Council Community Dialogue & Community Paint Day
Nov. 20th – Nov. 24th: NO SCHOOL – Thanksgiving Holiday Break
Friday, December 1st: Progress Reports Mailed Home
Thursday, Dec. 14th – Thursday, Dec. 21st: Presentations of Learning (POLs) – MINIMUM DAYS
Early release of students at 1:45pm each day
*Special start on Friday, Friday Dec. 15th at 8:40am*
This week was full of seasonal fun – from spooky lab experiments in Chemistry class to ofrenda building in Spanish class. Our students really had something each day to look forward to this past week at DVD. And, it was so much fun having our annual Halloween costume contest during lunch on Tuesday! Shout out to our winners – see a few photos below!
This week, also had our November edition of “Coffee with Admin”, where parents/guardians can meet with the admin team at DVD to hear updates and ask questions about all things DVD. Our agenda for this month’s edition was 1) Campus Updates & Highlights, 2) Upcoming Calendar Events, 3) Tardy and Absence Updates, 4) Red Ribbon Week: Key Resources, 5) Q&A. If you were not able to attend but would like to see a few campus, you can click here to find the slides from our November Coffee with Admin. Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, December 6th.
See the Bell Schedule for Week 12 here, as well key dates and events below:
Upcoming Dates and Events:
Thursday, 11/9: NO SCHOOL – STAFF DEVELOPMENT
Friday, 11/10: NO SCHOOL – Veteran’s Day Holiday
Tuesday, 11/14: 12th and 10th Grade Exhibition Night
10th Grade: 3pm-5pm
12th Grade: 5:30pm-7:30pm
Friday, 11/17: Diversity Council Community Dialogue & Community Paint Day
11/20-11/24: NO SCHOOL – Thanksgiving Holiday Break
As we approach the season of Thanksgiving, we are all grateful for the tremendous work of our school staff – from our teachers to counselors to paraeducators to custodians to front office staff. To show our appreciation, we are organizing Thanksgiving baskets to deliver to our school staff on Thursday, November 17th. The idea is that each staff member will receive one basket containing treats and words of appreciation from students and parents/guardians.
Here is how you can contribute to the baskets of Thanksgiving:
Items: If you are interested and able to purchase something to show your appreciation, please consider non-perishable items such as: individually wrapped : popcorn, gummies, trail mix, chips, hot chocolate, pretzels, candy, cookies, gift cards ($5) to target, Starbucks, coffee, sparkling water, tea, and any other non-perishable snacks. We need donated items collected by: Monday November 14th. All items can be left on the first-floor front office.
Words of Appreciation: There is nothing that means more to school staff than words of appreciation or encouragement. Please consider handwriting a note of thanks or typing one digitally here: DVD Staff Appreciation Notes We will be printing these digital messages and including all words of appreciation in the baskets. Handwritten notes can be dropped off by Monday November 14th.
With gratitude for your ongoing encouragement and support,
What an exciting week! Our first CD, a Cultural Food Fest in 12th grade, and we had a lovely Back to School Night event. It was so great to have parents, families, and lots of alumni siblings back on campus. If you were not able to join us on campus Thursday night, not to worry – you can find the Back to School Night presentations given from each grade level by clicking on the links here:
Next week, we have a short week due to a scheduled Professional Development Day – there is no school on Friday, 9/16. See the bell schedule for the coming week here:
Please take a moment to review our updated School Year Calendar (also linked in the “Resources Section”) as we have made a few changes and additions including our first School Site Council meeting after school (via Zoom) on Wednesday 9/28.
Da Vinci Design is once again offering Individualized Tutoring and After School Support, Monday-Thursday until 5pm, starting next week! This program is open to all students. The After School Drop-In Support will happen in the Wooden Room at the top of the stairs. No appointment needed! Students: If you have a question or don’t understand what is going on in class, just swing by. For more information, stay tuned for more information coming to the blog, or reach out to tutor Jay Mitsch at jmitsch@davincischools.org for more info.
The School Site Council is looking for new members! School Site Council is an opportunity for parents/guardians, students, & staff to work collaboratively to review the school program, review data and identify needs, make recommendations for the Local Control and Accountability Plan, and approve the Single/School Plan for Student Achievement.
If you are a parent/guardian who is interested in joining the DVD School Site Council, please fill out this School Site Council Parent interest form by Friday 9/16.
All submissions will be added to a voting form that will go out to the DVD parent community on September 19. School Site Council members will be notified on Friday September 23, and the first School Site Council meeting will be held after school (via Zoom) on Wednesday, September 28. If you have any questions, feel free to send them to me at rstoll@davincischools.org.
Upcoming Key Dates & Reminders
Thursday, 9/15: DV Club Fair
Friday, 9/16: No School – Staff Development
Wednesday, 9/28 @4:30pm: School Site Council Meeting #1 (via Zoom)
Wednesday, 10/12: PSAT/SAT Testing Day
Thursday, 10/13 – Friday, 10/14: No School – Staff Development
